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are the priests and the Levites who returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua:
Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah,and Jedaiah.
These were the leaders of the priests and their brothers in the days of Jeshua.
8 The Levites:
Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel,
Sherebiah, Judah,
and Mattaniah, who, together with his brothers, was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving.
9 Bakbukiah and Unno, their brothers, stood opposite them in the service.
10 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim,
Joiakim was the father of Eliashib,
Eliashib was the father of Joiada,
11 Joiada was the father of Jonathan,
and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.
12 In the days of Joiakim, the heads of the priestly families were:
of the Seraiah clan—Meraiah;
of the Jeremiah clan—Hananiah;
13 of the Ezra clan—Meshullam;
of the Amariah clan—Jehohanan;
14 of the Malluchi clan—Jonathan;
of the Shebaniah clan—Joseph;
15 of the Harim clan—Adna;
of the Meraioth clan—Helkai;
16 of the Iddo clan—Zechariah;
of the Ginnethon clan—Meshullam;
17 of the Abijah clan—Zichri;
of the Miniamin clan of the Moadiah clan—Piltai;
18 of the Bilgah clan—Shammua;
of the Shemaiah clan—Jehonathan;
19 of the Joiarib clan—Mattenai;
of the Jedaiah clan—Uzzi;
20 of the Sallai clan—Kallai;
of the Amok clan—Eber;
21 of the Hilkiah clan—Hashabiah;
of the Jedaiah clan—Nethanel.
22 The leaders of the Levite clans in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua were recorded in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The leaders among the descendants of Levi up until the days of Johanan son of Eliashab were recorded in the book of the historical records. 24 The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, along with their brothers, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, division alternating with division, as prescribed by David the man of God.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates.
26 They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of the Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest and scribe.
27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out wherever they lived. They were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and with singing accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres. 28 The singers gathered together from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. 30 The priests and the Levites purified themselves, and then they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
31 Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large choirs to give thanks. One proceeded to the right on the wall, toward the Dung Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed:
33 Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah.
35 Some of the priests’ sons had trumpets:
Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah,
the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,
36 and his brothers:
Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai,
Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel,
Judah, and Hanani,
with the musical instruments of David, the man of God.
Ezra the scribe led the procession.
37 At the Fountain Gate they continued directly up the steps to the City of David. They continued up the ascent to the wall and passed above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.
38 The other choir of thanksgiving proceeded to the left, and I followed them with half of the people along the top of the wall. They went past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall, 39 over the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Old Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. They stopped at the Gate of the Guard.
40 The two processions of the choirs of thanksgiving took their places in the house of God. I also took my place there, along with half of the officials; 41 as well as the priests:
Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin,
Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah,
and Hananiah, with trumpets;
42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar,
Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer.
Then the choirs sang, with Jezrahiah as their leader. 43 On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had filled them with great joy. The women and the children also rejoiced, so that the sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.
44 On that same day men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms that housed the contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions required by law were to be brought in from the fields surrounding the towns and village for the priests and Levites; for the people of Judah were pleased with the priests and Levites who were serving.
45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, according to the commands of David and his son Solomon.
46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph there were leaders for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah all of Israel contributed daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, as much as was required.
They also set aside the consecrated portion for the Levites, and the Levites set aside the consecrated portions for the descendants of Aaron.